Skip to main content

Fabric Wall Decorations

to
3,946
9,304
6,520
13,284
2,050
1,340
Height
to
Width
to
2,057
1,949
311
310
244
224
186
169
134
114
69
57
55
53
46
44
43
42
1,558
2,738
8,987
3,390
1,368
3,315
2,680
172
85
272
243
203
487
759
817
420
297
35,523
16,674
13,896
9,493
9,185
7,873
3,548
3,140
2,987
2,731
16,674
15,765
16,157
136
126
95
62
49
Material: Fabric
Flight of Swans by Arthur Eakin, c. 1900's
Located in Kenilworth, IL
Oil on canvas of a pair of swans flying over the reeded edge of a body of water, silhouetted against a blue and white sky. Signed, LL: Arthur R. Eakin American, circa 1900's. Dime...
Category

20th Century American Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Ornate Gilt Framed Oil Painting Floral Bouquet Still Life Signed James Moran
Located in Miami, FL
Large ornate gilt wood framed oil on canvas painting floral bouquet still life by American Artist James Moran. Skillfully applied textured flowers in a vas...
Category

Late 20th Century American American Classical Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Wood

Textile Wall Hanging Handwoven Framed Wall Art Blue
Located in Istanbul, TR
SIN, is a handwoven textile wall piece, named after the ancient Mesopotamian Goddess of the Moon. It is handwoven in Turkey, by the women weavers of Anatolia. The 50% of the income ...
Category

2010s Turkish Modern Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Metal

Fiber Art Tapestry, Macrame, Woven Wall Hanging, FORMAE by Tamar Samplonius
Located in WARMENHUIZEN, NL
FORMAE is a macrame / woven fiber art tapestry (wall hanging) created by Tamar Samplonius. 'Formae explores the impact of simplicity in both design and structure. The fiber artwor...
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Metal

Edouard Cortes, Oil on Canvas, French Painting, Paris Street Scene, 20th C.
Located in Manhasset, NY
Edouard Cortes (French 1882-1969) oil on canvas in a fine gilt frame. From a fine Madison CT estate. Turn of the century. Guaranteed as authentic. 13 by 18 1/2" Unframed. Cortès was...
Category

Early 20th Century French Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas

'A White Stream' Wool Tapestry or Rug by H. Sulkowska for Cepelia c 1960, Signed
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A beautiful wool tapestry, or small rug, named 'Bialy Potok' which translates to 'A White Stream', designed by artist H. Sulkowska for the Polish company 'ZWW' (Zakopiańskie Warsztat...
Category

1960s Polish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Bobyrug’s Nice Vintage Polish Tapestry Kilim
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful mid century polish tapestry Kilim, with beautiful native design and nice colors, entirely hand woven with wool on cotton foundation. ✨✨...
Category

Mid-20th Century Polish Scandinavian Modern Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Cotton

ARKO Wall Art14 Contemporary Art Japanese Craft Rice Straw Art Wall Sculpture
By ARKO
Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Hand-sewed rice straw art by ARKO. Title: Composition Marcato (B) This is one of the series named "Composition XX" Her works have the feelings of...
Category

2010s Japanese Organic Modern Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas, Thread, Straw

"Tree of Life, " Large Midcentury Tapestry by Ahmed, Early Student, Wissa Wassef
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Dating from 1976, about 20 years after Ramses Wissa Wassef established his tapestry workshop in the 1950s, this monumental tapestry by Samina Ahmed...
Category

1970s Egyptian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Schumacher Feather Bloom Sisal Wallpaper In Golden Plum
Located in New York, NY
Overscale blossoms in a radiating pattern make a delicate and dreamy statement. The natural sisal ground adds dimension and textural allure. • Sold in 8 yard increments. • M...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Grasscloth

Abstract Oil on Canvass Painting by Noted Vermont Artist Lois Foley '1981'
By Lois Foley
Located in New York, NY
Abstract oil on canvass of tonal greens, pinks and yellows with back wandering line structure, signed and dated Lois Foley '81. This example is in very fine original condition, clean...
Category

Late 20th Century American Modern Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas, Paint

" WHEEL OF LIFE " by Luciano Di Concetto
Located in Los Angeles, CA
One of the most important contemporary French painters is Luciano Di Concetto whose stylized work is becoming famous worldwide. His work displays contrasts of light and dark, richne...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas, Wood

18th Century Antique Tapestry Flemish Wool & Silk Handwoven
Located in New York, NY
18th century Tapestry Handwoven Wool & Silk Tapestry Palm Tree 8x12 226cm x 359cm 7'5" x 11'9" circa 1880 "This is very fine antique Flemish tapest...
Category

1880s Belgian Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Silk

1997 Andy Warhol - Chanel Pink Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
A truly iconic collaboration between Andy Warhol and Chanel no.5 began in 1985 when Warhol produced a selection of screen print artworks as part of his ADS series. The pieces were th...
Category

1990s American Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Linen, Paper

Late 17th Century French Aubusson Mythological Tapestry, with Pan and Syrinx
Located in New York, NY
A French Aubusson mythological tapestry from the late 17th century. This tapestry describes the myth of Pan and Syrinx after Ovide’s Metamorphoses. The God Pan pursues the nymph of t...
Category

Late 17th Century French Aubusson Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Large still life oil on canvas Painting Artwork
Located in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Large still life oil on canvas Painting Artwork. Unsigned, believed to be early 20th Century as judged by the frame. In good antique condition with minor knocks, marks, age related ...
Category

Early 20th Century Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas

Early 20th c English School Oil Painting Dock & Fishing Boats by Frederick Stead
By Frederick Stead
Located in Savannah, GA
English school, oil on canvas fishing boats alongside dock signed by English portrait and landscape painter Frederick Stead, (1863-1940). Antique wooden frame. Great subtle color and...
Category

Early 20th Century English Other Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas, Fruitwood

Zabihi Collection Antique Persian Senneh Rug
Located in New York, NY
1920s Mat size Persian Senneh floral rug Details rug no. 9923 size 1' 4" x 2' (41 x 61 cm) Antique Senneh rugs are one of the most distinctive of all Persian rugs, even though the ...
Category

20th Century Persian American Colonial Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Important Anni Albers style Bauhaus or Black Mountain Period Hand Weaving
Located in Sharon, CT
A period hand woven horizontal rectangles in two yellows and off white in a strict 'implied verticals' geometric Bauhaus or Black Mountain Design. Approximately 26 x 25.75 x 3/8".
Category

Early 20th Century German Bauhaus Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Cotton

Hand-Painted French Boiserie Wall Panels, A Pair
Located in Bradenton, FL
Pair of Elegant 19th Century Hand Painted French Boiserie Wall Panels. Panels are painted on canvas and later mounted on a board. Framed in simple white wooden frames. Each panel fea...
Category

19th Century French Louis XV Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Paint, Canvas

Large Original Playboy Artist Leo Jansen Oil Painting of a Reclining Nude Woman
Located in Tustin, CA
Very sensual, large original oil on canvas of a beautiful reclining red headed nude woman, by famous deceased listed Dutch artist, Leo Jansen (1930-1980). T...
Category

1970s American Other Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Paint, Canvas

Antique Paintings, Portrait of a Dog, Pomeranian Breed or Dwarf German Spitz, XX.
Located in Breganze, VI
The category Antique Paintings Portraits of Dogs features an oil painting on canvas with a portrait of a Pomeranian Breed dog or Dwarf German Spitz, named after the Pomeranian regio...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas

Mid 17th Century Aubusson Tapestry The Coronation Of Melinte And Ariana N° 1387
Located in Paris, FR
VIGON (after) "The coronation of Mélinte and Ariane" Tapestry from the Royal Manufacture of Aubusson second half of the 17th century. Woven in wool and silk This interesting tapestry...
Category

Mid-17th Century French Aubusson Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Silk

MMF - Marta Maas-Fjetterström, Barbro Nilsson, Framed Hand Woven Tapestry
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Märta Maas-Fjetterström - Barbro Nilsson Scandinavian Modern A beautiful vintage handwoven textile by Barbro Nilsson at Marta Maas-Fjetterström, framed in dark oak with glass backg...
Category

Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

18th Century Antique Indian Medieval Tapestry after the Battle of Karnal in 1739
Located in Dallas, TX
74417 18th Century Antique Indian Medieval Wall Tapestry after the Battle of Karnal in 1739. This beautiful antique Indian painted tapestry is done on a canvas. It features a hunting battle scene with kings, kingsmen and royalty with multiple types of animals ranging from horses, elephants, lions, birds, peacocks and leopards. This tapestry is possibly in relation to The Battle of Karnal in 1739. The Muhammed Shah fought with Nader Shah...
Category

18th Century British Indian Ocean Territory Medieval Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Fabric

Modern Boho Wall Decoration Large Fish made of Bamboo from the 1970s
Located in Hannover, DE
This fish is a work of art. It's something different than a normal wall mural. Let yourself be inspired. According to the previous owners, this fish was acquired in the 1960s and 197...
Category

1970s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Cotton, Bamboo

Textile Poster, Contemporary Handwoven Tapestry by Andrew Boos
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This wall hanging is a one of a kind heirloom piece. Taking inspiration from brutalism, mid-century abstraction, and Joseph Albers studies on the interaction of color. The entire pr...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Cotton

James Bond 'Dr. No' Original Vintage British Quad Movie Poster, 1962
Located in Devon, GB
A scarce and sought after country-of-origin poster for the first release of the first James Bond film. Based on Ian Fleming's novel of the same name, the 1962 release of 'Dr. No' fir...
Category

1960s British Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Linen, Paper

17th c. French Aubusson Tapestry Fragment
By Isaac Moillon
Located in Wichita, KS
French Baroque tapestry fragment depicting a scene from Greek mythology, Poseidon and Amphitrite, circa 1690. Attributed to Isaac Moillon, Pari...
Category

17th Century French Baroque Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Tapestry

Artistic Long And Narrow Size Antique Greek Embroidery Textile 1'8" x 10'9"
Located in New York, NY
Gorgeous 17th Century Antique Italian Silk Embroidery Textile, Country of Origin: Italy, Circa Date: 17th Century
Category

19th Century Greek Classical Greek Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Contemporary Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Original art work. Texture canvas with hand carved zig zag line, gesso, acrylic and oil with thin wood frame. The art + design continuum of form, space, color theory and texture.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Carlo Mismetti “Miscar” Dipinto Olio su Tela 1972
Located in Taranto, IT
Carlo Mismetti “Miscar” Dipinto Olio su Tela 1972. Misure: Altezza 82 cm Larghezza 63 cm Olio su tela In buone condizioni conservative, presenti segni del tempo dovuti all’ut...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas

Oversized 1970s Rosalie Atkins Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas "Red Sky"
Located in Miami, FL
Overscale 1970s Rosalie Atkins Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas "Red Sky" Offered for sale is a 1970s over-scale Rosalie Atkins oil painting on canvas titled "Red sky". This graph...
Category

1970s American Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Wood, Paint

Pair of 16th Century Silk Tapestry Borders from Brussels, H-98.75 Inches
Located in Dallas, TX
A beautiful pair of tapestry fragments, hand-woven in Brussels during the 1500s. At roughly 99 inches (over 8 feet) long, the fragments were, originally, vertical borders to a large ...
Category

16th Century Belgian Renaissance Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Silk

Mid Century Impasto Cityscape by Coletta
Located in Redding, CT
Mid Century Impasto Cityscape by Coletta. Nice heavy brushstokes made up this amazing cityscape. Deep colors of purple, black, white and yellow make up this busy composition. Perfect...
Category

1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Linen, Masonite, Paint

Rune P. Swedish Artist, Oil on Canvas, Modernist Landscape, Mid-20th Century
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Rune P. Swedish artist. Oil on canvas. Modernist landscape, mid-20th century. The canvas measures: 89 x 64 cm. The frame measures: 2.5 cm. Signed. In very good condition. 20th c...
Category

Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas

Maxime Tendero Wall-Mounted Abstract Carved Wood Art Panel Sculpture, circa 1973
Located in Atlanta, GA
This superbly handcrafted abstract wooden art wall sculpture panel was designed by French artist Maxime Tendero (1927-1998) in 1973. Mounted on a wood plank covered with gray jute, t...
Category

1970s French Modern Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Jute, Wood

Large Vintage School Chart Ergot Mold Jung Koch Quentell
Located in Poperinge, BE
Beautiful large vintage school map, school poster about ergot (Claviceps purpurea), a fungus that grows on the ears of cereals such as rye and wheat and other grasses such as cocksfo...
Category

1970s German Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Paper

Bobyrug’s Nice Vintage Hand Woven Polish Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful mid century polish tapestry Kilim with beautiful native design and beautiful colors, entirely hand woven with wool on cotton foundation....
Category

Mid-20th Century Polish Scandinavian Modern Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Horizon Marine Tapestry by Jean Picart Le Doux, Signed, Great Condition
Located in Kansas City, MO
Large Jean Picart Le Doux "Horizon Marin" tapestry handwoven at Atelier Pinton in Aubusson France. Signed. Limited edition. Virtually no signs of wear. ...
Category

1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Antique Uzbekistan Tashkent All Over Silk Suzani Embroidered Wall Hanging
Located in Tokyo, JP
This wall hanging is all over hand-embroidered Suzani design, silk & cotton ground and the embroidery thread is 100% silk. Suzani, which means "embroidery" in Uzbek, began around ...
Category

Early 20th Century Uzbek Kilim Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Silk, Natural Fiber, Organic Material

Massive Oversized Jansport Backpacks
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Massive oversized Jansport backpacks. One red. One green. Over 2.5 feet tall. 400% larger than a normal backpack. Cool advertising piece. Great objec...
Category

1990s American Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Fabric

Calman Shemi Large Format Wall Tapestry, 1978
Located in Miami, FL
Monolithic wool wall tapestry by artist Calman Shemi dated 1978. Can be hung horizontal or vertical. Calman Shemi Argentine/ Israeli 1939 - Tapestry Signed and dated near lowe...
Category

1970s Argentine Modern Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

21x34 in Embroidered 100% Silk Wall Hanging. New Tablecloth. Boho Wall Decor
Located in Spring Valley, NY
Celebrate the rich heritage of Asian craftsmanship with this exquisite 100% silk Suzani textile, meticulously hand-embroidered by skilled artisans. A true work of art, this piece emb...
Category

2010s Central Asian Suzani Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Silk

17th Century Brussels Mythological Tapestry Persephone from the History of Ceres
Located in New York, NY
A Baroque Brussels tapestry from the 17th century, signed by Marcus de Vos, depicting Proserpine (Persephone) reaching for a pomegranate and on the right side a dragon, probably from...
Category

Mid-17th Century Belgian Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Jane Knight Fiber Art Textile Jute Rope Wall Hanging Sculpture
Located in Troy, MI
Fiber art wall hanging sculpture by Michigan artist Jane Knight (1928-2013) circa 1980s 9 element piece composed of jute rope and red / orange woolen...
Category

1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Spanish Colonial Cuzco School Madonna Virgin Mary Painting
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Remarkable Spanish colonial late 18th/early 19th-century painting of Lady of the Rosary, Madonna and Child, or Virgin Mary. Oil on canvas Cuzco school painting...
Category

19th Century Peruvian Spanish Colonial Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas, Wood

Antique French Tapestry Handmade Tapestry Large Verdure Tapestry 5x9
Located in New York, NY
Antique Tapestry French Figural Tapestry Verdure Battle 5' x 8'10" (5' x 9') 152cm x 269cm Circa 1900 "This is an Rare Antique French Aubusson Tapestry with monogram signat...
Category

Early 1900s French French Provincial Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Antique Set of 4 Oil Paintings Four Seasons by Guiseppe Mazzolini 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a magnificent set of four antique Italian oil on canvas paintings of the Four Seasons by Guiseppe Mazzolini (1806 - 1876), signed. These stunning paintings features four po...
Category

1850s Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas

48"x30" Ceramic & Fiber Wall Sculpture in White, Grey, Tan w/ Cotton Fringe
Located in Proctorsville, VT
Four panel wall sculpture that measures 48" x 30". Hand formed ceramic pieces in unglazed white stoneware. Pictured with cotton and tencel fringe detailing in white, grey and tan. Ha...
Category

2010s American Organic Modern Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Ceramic, Cotton

17th Century Flemish Tapestry Dragons
Located in Canterbury, GB
A magnificent antique wall tapestry Flemish and dating from 17th century Very fine weaving depicting Mythical Dragon like creatures in a woo...
Category

17th Century Dutch Aubusson Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Mid-Century Modern Large Mountain Forest Landscape Tapestry Art Wall Hanging
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful and quite engaging large Mid-Century Modern tapestry/wall hanging. The piece appears to be made of yarn or wool using a hand latch hook technique. The piece features a ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Textile, Burlap, Yarn

Japanese Antique Silk and Cotton Tapestry
Located in Milano, IT
Wonderful and very rare Japanese tapestry made in the 1900s, made of woven silk and cotton, of absolute fineness. The tapestry is developed in length ...
Category

Early 1800s Japanese Japonisme Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Fabric, Silk

Pretty antique tapestry cardboard hand painted panel
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Pretty 19th century French tapestry cardboard with a nice design of swing game featuring a young man standing pushing a young girl sitting on the swing. At a setting in the woods, be...
Category

Late 19th Century French Romantic Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Cotton, Linen

Antique Oil Painting Grand Canal Venice Alfred Pollentine 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a beautiful oil on canvas painting of the view of the The Grand Canal in Venice by the renowned British artist Alfred Pollentine (1836-1890) and signed lower right 'A Pollentine, 19th century in date. This beautiful landscape captures a striking view of the Grand Canal, it features a busy canal scene with gondoliers in the foreground, in the distance the facades of Saint Mark's complete the painting. Housed in it's original and beautiful gilt gallery frame. Several examples of his work have sold at top auction...
Category

19th Century English Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas

Carlo Mismetti "Miscar" Oil Painting on Canvas 1972
Located in Taranto, IT
Carlo Mismetti "Miscar" Oil on Canvas Painting 1972. Measures: Height 82cm Width 63 cm Oil on canvas In good conservative condition, present signs of time due to use and age....
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas

After Raffaello Sanzio 1483-1520 Raphael La Madonna della Seggiola Oil on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Fine Italian 19th Century Oil Painting on Canvas "La Madonna della Seggiola" after Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino 1483-1520). The circular painted canvas depicting a seated Madonna holding an infant Jesus Christ next to a child Saint John the Baptist, all within a massive carved gilt wood and gesso frame, which is identical to the frame on Raphael's original artwork. This painting is a 19th Century copy of Raphael's Madonna della Seggiola painted in 1514 and currently exhibited and part of the permanent collection at the Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina, Florence, Italy. The bodies of the Virgin, Christ, and the boy Baptist fill the whole picture. The tender, natural looking embrace of the Mother and Child, and the harmonious grouping of the figures in the round, have made this one of Raphael's most popular Madonnas. The isolated chair leg is reminiscent of papal furniture, which has led to the assumption that Leo X himself commissioned the painting. A retailer's label reads " Fred K/ Keer's Sons - Framers and Fine Art Dealers - 917 Broad St. Newark, N.J." - Another label from the gilder reads "Carlo Bartolini - Doratore e Verniciatori - Via Maggio 1924 - Firenze". Circa: 1890-1900. Subject: Religious painting Canvas diameter: 28 inches (71.1 cm) Frame height: 54 inches (137.2 cm) Frame width: 42 1/2 inches (108 cm) Frame depth: 5 1/2 inches (14 cm) Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Italian, March 28 or April 6, 1483 - April 6, 1520), known as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur. Together with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, he forms the traditional trinity of great masters of that period. Raphael was enormously productive, running an unusually large workshop and, despite his death at 37, leaving a large body of work. Many of his works are found in the Vatican Palace, where the frescoed Raphael Rooms were the central, and the largest, work of his career. The best known work is The School of Athens in the Vatican Stanza della Segnatura. After his early years in Rome much of his work was executed by his workshop from his drawings, with considerable loss of quality. He was extremely influential in his lifetime, though outside Rome his work was mostly known from his collaborative printmaking. After his death, the influence of his great rival Michelangelo was more widespread until the 18th and 19th centuries, when Raphael's more serene and harmonious qualities were again regarded as the highest models. His career falls naturally into three phases and three styles, first described by Giorgio Vasari: his early years in Umbria, then a period of about four years (1504–1508) absorbing the artistic traditions of Florence, followed by his last hectic and triumphant twelve years in Rome, working for two Popes and their close associates. Raphael was born in the small but artistically significant central Italian city of Urbino in the Marche region, where his father Giovanni Santi was court painter to the Duke. The reputation of the court had been established by Federico III da Montefeltro, a highly successful condottiere who had been created Duke of Urbino by the Pope - Urbino formed part of the Papal States - and who died the year before Raphael was born. The emphasis of Federico's court was rather more literary than artistic, but Giovanni Santi was a poet of sorts as well as a painter, and had written a rhymed chronicle of the life of Federico, and both wrote the texts and produced the decor for masque-like court entertainments. His poem to Federico shows him as keen to show awareness of the most advanced North Italian painters, and Early Netherlandish artists as well. In the very small court of Urbino he was probably more integrated into the central circle of the ruling family than most court painters. Federico was succeeded by his son Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, who married Elisabetta Gonzaga, daughter of the ruler of Mantua, the most brilliant of the smaller Italian courts for both music and the visual arts. Under them, the court continued as a centre for literary culture. Growing up in the circle of this small court gave Raphael the excellent manners and social skills stressed by Vasari. Court life in Urbino at just after this period was to become set as the model of the virtues of the Italian humanist court through Baldassare Castiglione's depiction of it in his classic work The Book of the Courtier, published in 1528. Castiglione moved to Urbino in 1504, when Raphael was no longer based there but frequently visited, and they became good friends. He became close to other regular visitors to the court: Pietro Bibbiena and Pietro Bembo, both later cardinals, were already becoming well known as writers, and would be in Rome during Raphael's period there. Raphael mixed easily in the highest circles throughout his life, one of the factors that tended to give a misleading impression of effortlessness to his career. He did not receive a full humanistic education however; it is unclear how easily he read Latin. Early Life and Works His mother Màgia died in 1491 when Raphael was eight, followed on August 1, 1494 by his father, who had already remarried. Raphael was thus orphaned at eleven; his formal guardian became his only paternal uncle Bartolomeo, a priest, who subsequently engaged in litigation with his stepmother. He probably continued to live with his stepmother when not staying as an apprentice with a master. He had already shown talent, according to Vasari, who says that Raphael had been "a great help to his father". A self-portrait drawing from his teenage years shows his precocity. His father's workshop continued and, probably together with his stepmother, Raphael evidently played a part in managing it from a very early age. In Urbino, he came into contact with the works of Paolo Uccello, previously the court painter (d. 1475), and Luca Signorelli, who until 1498 was based in nearby Città di Castello. According to Vasari, his father placed him in the workshop of the Umbrian master Pietro Perugino as an apprentice "despite the tears of his mother". The evidence of an apprenticeship comes only from Vasari and another source, and has been disputed—eight was very early for an apprenticeship to begin. An alternative theory is that he received at least some training from Timoteo Viti, who acted as court painter in Urbino from 1495.Most modern historians agree that Raphael at least worked as an assistant to Perugino from around 1500; the influence of Perugino on Raphael's early work is very clear: "probably no other pupil of genius has ever absorbed so much of his master's teaching as Raphael did", according to Wölfflin. Vasari wrote that it was impossible to distinguish between their hands at this period, but many modern art historians claim to do better and detect his hand in specific areas of works by Perugino or his workshop. Apart from stylistic closeness, their techniques are very similar as well, for example having paint applied thickly, using an oil varnish medium, in shadows and darker garments, but very thinly on flesh areas. An excess of resin in the varnish often causes cracking of areas of paint in the works of both masters. The Perugino workshop was active in both Perugia and Florence, perhaps maintaining two permanent branches. Raphael is described as a "master", that is to say fully trained, in December 1500. His first documented work was the Baronci altarpiece for the church of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino in Città di Castello, a town halfway between Perugia and Urbino. Evangelista da Pian di Meleto, who had worked for his father, was also named in the commission. It was commissioned in 1500 and finished in 1501; now only some cut sections and a preparatory drawing remain. In the following years he painted works for other churches there, including the Mond Crucifixion (about 1503) and the Brera Wedding of the Virgin (1504), and for Perugia, such as the Oddi Altarpiece. He very probably also visited Florence in this period. These are large works, some in fresco, where Raphael confidently marshals his compositions in the somewhat static style of Perugino. He also painted many small and exquisite cabinet paintings in these years, probably mostly for the connoisseurs in the Urbino court, like the Three Graces and St. Michael, and he began to paint Madonnas and portraits. In 1502 he went to Siena at the invitation of another pupil of Perugino, Pinturicchio, "being a friend of Raphael and knowing him to be a draughtsman of the highest quality" to help with the cartoons, and very likely the designs, for a fresco series in the Piccolomini Library in Siena Cathedral. He was evidently already much in demand even at this early stage in his career. Influence of Florence Raphael led a "nomadic" life, working in various centres in Northern Italy, but spent a good deal of time in Florence, perhaps from about 1504. Although there is traditional reference to a "Florentine period...
Category

Early 1900s Italian Baroque Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Canvas, Giltwood

19th Century French Aubusson Green Verdure Tapestry with Bird and Foliage
Located in New York, NY
Place this long and narrow antique tapestry in a staircase or in between two windows for a pop of color. Handwoven in Aubusson, France, circa 1860, this gorgeous verdure wall piece h...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Aubusson Antique Fabric Wall Decorations

Materials

Tapestry, Wool

Read More

In Francks Deceus’s ‘Mumbo Jumbo #5,’ the Black Experience Is . . . Complicated

Despite the obstacles, the piece’s protagonist navigates the chaos without losing his humanity.

12 Floral-Accented Rooms with a Handmade, Folkloric Feel

Who needs a flower garden? Just use your imagination — and some beautifully patterned wallpaper or fabric — to bring the outdoors in.

This Wolf Kahn Pastel Is the Epitome of Beauty at Its Most Essential

A longtime admirer of Kahn’s work, 1stDibs editorial director Anthony Barzilay Freund explores why it’s relevant now more than ever.

Why Jules Chéret Was the King of the Modern Poster

The streets of fin-de-siècle Paris were set aglow with colorful poster ads, thanks to the printing techniques invented by Jules Chéret. Now, the Milwaukee Art Museum is celebrating this undersung talent in America's first solo show dedicated his exuberant works.

Anna Condo’s Multifaceted Career Spans Film, Photography and NFTs

From her historic Manhattan townhouse, the talented creator and curator of 1stDibs' latest NFT exhibition tells us about the art in her home and how she got involved with cryptoart.

How Keith Rivers Went from NFL Linebacker to Blue-Chip Art Aficionado

The former football player is as serious about becoming a great contemporary-art patron as he once was about making tackles. Here, Rivers tells us how he got the collecting bug and how his tastes have evolved over the years.

More Than Ever, the Female Design Council Is Embracing Funked-Up Creativity

The organization's "Womxn’s History Month" collection celebrates female-identified creators pushing the boundaries of technique and material.

This New Orleans Antiques Dealer’s Stylish Home Doubles as Her Art Studio

A former lawyer, Karina Gentinetta has achieved second-act success as a furniture gallerist and painter.

Recently Viewed

View All